Lessons of Love
by ohsimplething
Summary: AU. teacher!Klaine. Kurt has been working at the same school for the past twelve months and is starting to become sick of his job. That is until a gorgeous new teacher starts in the new year, making sticking in this career all the more appealing.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: So this was just something that came to mind the other day and I felt like writing. Not sure if I'll continue, drop a review and let me know if you want me to. Enjoy :)**

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><p>Students rushed to collect their belongings at the sound of the bell and Kurt Hummel sighed. It's how it was every day, in and out; the teenagers rarely cared about classes. Only five years had passed since that had been him, completing his senior year, and he'd certainly been more studious than the kids he saw dashing out of the classroom. My, had things changed.<p>

Moments later the classroom was empty apart from Kurt who stood at the front of the room staring at the vacant seats and wondering what he was doing here, what he was doing with his life.

Kurt had thought he had a passion for teaching but it appeared he may have been wrong. He wasn't at all surprised, he'd been lying to himself when he said he was okay heading down this career path. Kurt was destined for Broadway and he knew it. He had dreamt of his name in lights his entire life but it just wasn't realistic. New York was so expensive and even if Kurt could up and leave he knew he couldn't afford to live there comfortably.

That wasn't the only thing tying him down here though. His father had been pretty sick on and off the past seven years and Kurt didn't feel okay leaving him. Yes, Carole was a nurse and she was taking care of him just fine but Kurt would never forgive himself if he missed what could be the last few years of his dad's life.

So for those reasons alone Kurt was stuck in dingy Ohio, in a job he'd only had for just over 12 months but was already bored of.

The school Kurt worked at catered for kids in kindergarten all the way up to year twelve but he avoided the elementary school area of the grounds. Little kids were adorable but Kurt did not have the patience to be able to deal with the little tykes on a daily basis. Instead he taught Advanced French and Literature.

Subjects he had loved taking in high school now seemed monotonous and Kurt was dying to change it up a bit. Maybe he'd pick up a performing arts or drama class just for something different, something he had a real love for. Kurt missed musical theatre and performing, a lot more than he expected to. He still sang on a regular basis but it was nowhere near as enjoyable when not for an audience.

A light knock was heard and Kurt's head snapped towards the sudden noise.

Standing in the doorway was a smiling young woman he knew very well. Her auburn hair flowed down her shoulders, naturally curled at the ends. It was a beautiful colour and Kurt had threatened the girl's life more than once when she'd considered dyeing it.

"Are you right?" the woman asked, taking in Kurt's dazed expression.

Kurt smiled at his closest friend at work. "Yeah, I'm just tired," he said, using the age-old excuse to cover his true emotions.

Tanya arched an eyebrow and shook her head at Kurt. "You're telling me later! After dinner drinks tonight?"

Kurt grinned. This girl loved her post dinner alcohol. "Maybe if I get some paperwork done beforehand," he invented, wanting to avoid the serious conversation he knew would ensue if he went along. He couldn't quite deal with Tanya's psych analysis just yet. "I am buried under it at the moment."

Tanya rolled her eyes, instantly calling him out on his lie. "Kurt, it's the second day of the school year, how much paperwork can one have?"

Kurt shrugged. "A lot?"

Tanya shook her head again, not pushing the subject and stepped into the room. "It's Margaret's 50th today. We're singing happy birthday in 5."

Kurt slowly began to gather his belongings and avoided Tanya's gaze. "I'm not really in the celebratory mood."

A frown set in on Tanya's face before she took two strides towards Kurt and grabbed her friend's arm, tugging insistently. "There's cake involved!"

Kurt smiled at the attempt. He had to hand it to Tanya, she could be quite persuasive when she wanted to. If the mention of sugary food that would distract Kurt from his dull life hadn't done it, the happy grin on his friend's face would have. "Alright, alright, just give me a sec," Kurt said, picking up the last of his things before falling into step with Tanya as they walked down the corridor towards the staff room.

"I'm glad you're coming," she said truthfully. "This way you get to meet the new first grade teacher. We had a welcome morning tea for him and the two other new teachers yesterday but I didn't see you there."

"Yeah, I had yard duty at lunch," Kurt explained, remembering the tedious hour he'd spent patrolling the middle school the day before.

"Well I'll introduce you. He's a good guy, really nice and funny. His Aunty is a friend of my Mum so I've met him a few times before and was quite surprised to see his familiar face yesterday," Tanya babbled as they came closer to the staff room.

Just before entering she moved her lips closer to Kurt's ear and whispered. "He's super gorgeous so I figured you'd like an introduction."

Kurt blushed slightly and grinned. "Why didn't you tell me this sooner? I think that's more motivation to come here than cake," Kurt joked, hoping his cheeks would de-redden soon. His tendency to blush was something Kurt had had since middle school and absolutely hated.

As soon as Kurt was inside the staff room Tanya made a bee-line to the other side of the room and returned a minute later with a short but admittedly beautiful man. Tanya had not been exaggerating when she said he was gorgeous. He wore well-fitted jeans and a powder blue button-down shirt and Kurt didn't understand how the guy in front of him could look so amazing in something so simple. His hair was lightly gelled, giving him more of a formal appearance but Kurt imagined the curls would look much nicer set free.

Stunning hazel eyes met beautiful glasz as a hand was extended to Kurt.

"Hi, I'm Blaine," the man said as Kurt shook his hand, appreciating the smooth skin, "The new first grade teacher. Blaine Anderson, but the kids call me Mr. A."

Blaine grinned, dazzling Kurt. Even this guy's smile was perfect. Kurt found it hard to drag his gaze back up to Blaine's, having spent a second too long staring at that smile, those teeth, those lips-

"I'm Kurt," he said hurriedly, mentally shaking his thoughts away. "Nice to meet you."

Kurt smiled too, earning another up-turn of the lips from Blaine, which made Kurt's heart skip a beat. He was just so beautiful…

Before they could say anything else a thunder of 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY' was heard as a middle-aged woman entered the room, a look of pleasant surprise etched on her face.

Kurt turned to say something to Tanya but noticed she was nowhere in sight. He'd been so caught up in Blaine's appearance he hadn't noticed Tanya leaving. As a chorus of 'Happy Birthday' began Kurt turned back to face his colleagues and smiled as he saw how delighted Margaret looked at the fact that people had remembered her birthday.

A quarter of the way through the song Blaine nudged Kurt lightly, his eyes widened from realising he didn't know the woman's name.

"Margaret," Kurt whispered directly into Blaine's ear, taking in the delicious smell of the stranger as he pulled away. It was a mixture of cologne, aftershave and what Kurt assumed was just Blaine. If it was a fragrance, Kurt would buy it, Blaine smelt that heavenly.

A loud eruption of 'Hip hip hoorays' jolted Kurt back to reality. He saw a genuine smile on Blaine's face, just as dazzling as before, as he clapped along with everyone in the room.

"The school I worked at the past two years didn't do anything like this," Blaine commented, turning to Kurt, "It was lucky if one person remembered your birthday."

Kurt smiled. It was one thing he liked about this place, there was a real community feel and despite the fact that there was a huge amount of staff everyone was friendly to each other.

"Yeah, birthdays are kind of a big deal," Kurt told Blaine, remembering how shocked he'd been when halfway through his first year he had been welcomed with shouts of birthday greetings and a cake at lunch. He was unaware anyone even knew the date of his birthday, much less that people would go to the effort to make a fuss over him.

"I've been here one day and it already seems like such a nice working environment," Blaine mused, looking around at all the teachers chatting happily amongst themselves.

"It is."

"So, what do you teach?" Kurt smiled at the fact that Blaine wanted to continue chatting. "Are you situated in the elementary school?" Blaine asked almost hopefully.

Kurt laughed. "God no." And then he saw the look on Blaine's face and Kurt hastened to explain. "Not that there's anything wrong with working with younger kids, if I had more patience I wouldn't mind it, I actually love kids, I just couldn't teach them every day."

Blaine still didn't look convinced so Kurt continued. "I actually admire you for being able to teach the same students _every single_ _day._ I would get sick of them."

Kurt's eyes widened at what he'd just said. "Not that I hate the kids I teach, ugh now I sound like an awful teacher, please don't think I'm a bad person, I'm not." Blaine held back chuckles throughout Kurt's babbling and tried his best to hide a huge grin. "Okay I am going to stop talking as to avoid embarrassing myself even more."

Kurt could feel his cheeks reddening once again and wished he could rewind the last bit of his conversation and take back everything he had said, replacing the words with something much more eloquent.

"So you didn't answer my original question," Blaine said, that grin still gracing his face. "What do you teach?"

"Oh, well, I teach Advanced French which is only for juniors and seniors and then I teach Literature for freshman year and up." Kurt was surprised that what had just come out of his mouth actually sounded coherent. After his big slip up earlier he severely doubted himself when it came to his words. It appeared that Blaine made him flustered and Kurt hoped that if – _when_ - they talked in the future he would find it easier to keep his composure.

"Wow, so you're really good at French?" Blaine asked, truly interested.

"Fluent," Kurt said proudly with a smile.

Blaine looked so impressed. "I could never learn another language properly. I took Latin in high school and that was terrible. I dropped it as soon as my school allowed."

"Well, Latin is pretty dry, I was always interested in French," Kurt explained happily. "It's such a romantic language."

Blaine nodded in agreement.

Tanya returned at that moment, cutting Blaine short, and Kurt wished she hadn't so he could chat to Blaine for longer. He was quite enjoying their conversation, despite embarrassing himself excessively.

Tanya's eyes darted to Kurt's and she gave him a cheeky grin before she turned to Blaine. "Claire wanted to talk to you," she told him, nodding towards the woman sitting at the opposite side of the staff room. "Something about combining classes after lunch for maths."

Blaine nodded at Tanya, who looked delighted, before he faced Kurt. "It was really nice meeting you," he said kindly, patting Kurt on the arm before turning to leave.

A moment or two passed as Tanya and Kurt waited for Blaine to be out of hearing distance. Once he was half way across the room Tanya grinned excitedly at Kurt.

"What do you think?" she asked, almost bouncing with enthusiasm.

Kurt tried to hold back a smile. "He's extremely good looking. And friendly."

Tanya nodded knowingly. "I knew you'd like him. So am I setting you up, or?"

Kurt almost laughed at the suggestion. "Tanya, he's not exactly flamboyant and although my gaydar doesn't specifically point to straight it would be pretty presumptuous to just assume he isn't."

"Oh, he's gay. Remember, my Mum is friends with his Aunty." Tanya grinned at Kurt. "I know these things," she added, tapping her finger to her brain.

Kurt looked over to where Blaine sat, talking with Claire, one of the other first grade teachers. He looked so perfect. Surely he couldn't be real. And that's when Kurt's grin morphed into a frown.

"I'm not in his league, you do realise," Kurt said, trying to keep the disappointment out of his tone.

Tanya looked at Kurt like he was crazy. "Sweetie, you are just as gorgeous! Have you not seen a mirror lately?"

"That's awfully kind, Tanya, and thank-you for the suggestion of playing match maker but he wouldn't want to go out with me anyway." Kurt didn't bother hiding his feelings. He'd stupidly gotten his hopes up; just because Blaine was gay didn't mean he was interested.

Chuckling, Tanya slipped her arm through Kurt's, walking them towards the bench to make a coffee each. "That's where you're wrong. Because he already agreed."

Kurt gave Tanya a look of disbelief. "You already, but, we just met, how," Kurt's words failed him.

Grinning, Tanya explained. "Yesterday I told him there was this amazing guy who taught at his new workplace and that I'd be more than happy to set you two up. He was hesitant at first but I suggested just introducing you both and taking it from there."

Kurt gave his friend a look when he realised she'd planned this out. She just smiled back at him innocently. "That nod to me before he left, that was Blaine saying he wanted to go out with you."

As the words sunk in, Kurt's heart rate accelerated. So maybe this guy was interested in him.

Kurt laughed as he tried to hide his excitement. "It's all so elementary school."

Tanya laughed too before nudging Kurt. "So, what do you say? Am I setting up a date?"

Kurt looked over to Blaine again, already knowing his answer. Their gazes met and Blaine waved childishly before they exchanged a genuine smile.

Turning back to Tanya, Kurt grinned. "I'm in."


	2. Chapter 2

Wednesdays had always been Blaine's least favourite day of the week. The fact that it was smack-bang in the middle of the 5 days of school meant the weekend felt the furthest away no matter which way you looked at it. And Blaine hated that feeling.

Also, for whatever reason, it tended to be the day of the week the kids were the least focused.

This morning was no different as Blaine found himself teaching simple addition to twenty uninterested first-graders. Once the basics had been outlined on the board Blaine had suggested a maths game, which instantly made the students perk up.

The time in between recess and lunch was mostly spent on hand writing. At this age, children's writing was terribly untidy and Blaine hated nothing more than trying to read a piece of illegible work. Blaine would be the first to admit his own handwriting was nothing short of atrocious but it was at least readable.

In the last ten minutes before lunchtime, Blaine read a book whilst the kids sat, entranced by the story, laughing when their teacher put on different voices for each of the characters.

When the bell finally rang, Blaine sighed in relief. It wasn't like he hated his job or anything, it was just tiring ninety-nine percent of the time.

Grabbing an apple and yoghurt from his satchel, Blaine walked the distance to the staffroom, smiling at teachers who said hello as he passed. Two and a half days in and everyone was treating him like he'd been here for years.

The staffroom was already full when Blaine reached it yet it took him all of three seconds to spot Kurt sitting amongst the throng. Taking mouthfuls of salad, Kurt sat with Tanya, laughing at something one of the two had said. Blaine made a quick decision and walked across the room to join them.

He might have imagined it but it looked like Kurt's eyes lit up at the sight of him.

Blaine sat down next to Tanya, across from Kurt, and grinned at them both.

"Hi," he said, immediately taking a bite of his apple.

Kurt hid a smile at Blaine's laid-back nature and continued eating his lunch. He tried his best not to stare at Blaine but damnit, that man looked just as attractive as the day before. Clad in another cute button-down and tweed pants, he pulled off that adorable yet smouldering look so well.

Blaine was finding it hard to keep the leering to a minimum too. Kurt's hair was styled just as perfectly as it had been yesterday. He wore a long sweater and from what he could tell, very tight jeans. If only Kurt would stand up for some reason so Blaine could see if this was the case. Blushing lightly at the thought, Blaine chastised himself for it before lifting his eyes to meet Kurt's gaze.

They grinned at each other before looking back down at their respective lunches.

Tanya watched on with amusement, practically reading her friends' minds.

"I'm gonna go talk to Mark, yeah?" Tanya said as she stood up, smiling as Kurt's eyes widened as if to say '_Don't leave me._' "I'll talk to you later."

With a small wave, Tanya left the two alone.

Part of Kurt was excited for the chance to talk to Blaine again, just the two of him. But the other part of him was terrified at the thought that he'd bore Blaine or be himself and just screw up his chances with the guy.

After an awkward silence, Kurt was the first to talk.

"So, uhh, how's your day been?"

Blaine shrugged. "So, so. How about yours?"

"I've only had one class this morning, Year ten Lit, so that wasn't too bad. I've got a French class this afternoon though which if I'm being honest, I am not looking forward to."

Blaine arched an eyebrow and Kurt began to explain. "Well, I had the exact same class last year, minus one or two kids, and they are extremely disruptive and just not willing to learn. I'm really not sure why they all decided to take French at this level when none of them show any interest in the language."

Taking in Kurt's words, Blaine sighed. "That's teenagers for you, I guess."

Kurt nodded. "I know, I should expect this from some of the students, it's just I don't understand why they're so against actually learning something. I remember when I was in school I was eager to learn as much as I could."

Kurt realised he'd been rambling and bit his lip. "Sorry, I tend to go off on random tangents," Kurt felt himself becoming flustered again, "And wow, I just remembered I only met you yesterday, you're practically a stranger, I'm sorry."

Blaine hid a smile at Kurt's almost nervous nature. "It's really fine, I enjoy it. People are much too boring when they're calm."

Kurt smiled at Blaine before continuing to eat, leaving Blaine to take over the conversation.

"So did you ever think of maybe trying some different techniques to get the kids motivated?" Blaine suggested.

Kurt looked at him in surprise. This guy was really trying to help him figure out his problem. He'd known the guy a day but Kurt was convinced Blaine was actually perfect.

"I feel as if I've tried everything." Kurt looked so defeated and Blaine patted him lightly on the hand that was resting on the table in front of them. It was only a second of contact but both men enjoyed the warmth that spread over them as a result of it.

"You'll think of something," Blaine assured him, "But until you do, I'll keep my thinking-cap on for ideas."

Kurt laughed abruptly and Blaine's expression changed to worry.

"I'm sorry, it's just," Kurt chuckled once more, "Thinking-cap? Really? Are you sure you're not an elementary student yourself?"

Blaine's laughter joined Kurt's as he shook his head. "When you work with little kids all year round you tend to pick up on some of their sayings."

Still amused, Kurt nodded at Blaine's explanation.

It was so easy talking to Blaine, Kurt decided. Well, it was easy when he wasn't worrying about what he'd say next. Blaine was such a likeable person and Kurt felt as if he'd known the man longer than twenty-four hours. He wanted to get to know him more and wondered if either of them would bring up the fact that Tanya wanted to set them up on a date.

Kurt decided to bite the bullet and say something regarding his friend, hoping Blaine might get the message and let Kurt know if he actually was interested or not.

"So, Tanya tells me you guys know each other," Kurt said casually, finishing the last of his lunch.

Blaine nodded, swallowing the mouthful of yoghurt he had before answering. "Yeah, my aunty is friends with her mum," Blaine explained, "We've met a few times before."

It was now Kurt's turn to nod. He was unsure of how to subtly work in the fact that Tanya had told him of their conversation regarding Kurt, but decided subtlety was useless, he was no good at it anyway.

"Tanya told me you guys talked about me?" Kurt said as if it were a question, gauging Blaine's reaction carefully.

Blaine sighed and looked almost annoyed which worried Kurt to no end. If Tanya had made this up, or worse, Blaine had decided he wasn't in fact interested, then Kurt would forever be embarrassed. However, neither was the case he soon discovered.

"She said she wouldn't tell you," Blaine said, frustration clear on his face. "I was gonna ask you out properly and all and was hoping to catch you by surprise, but no."

Surprised at Blaine's reaction, Kurt couldn't help but chuckle. "And who's to say I wasn't going to be the one asking you out?"

The worry in Blaine's face deepened at Kurt's words. "I just assumed, I mean, sorry, I hope you don't take that by offence or anything, like sure, it's fine for you to be the one to ask me out, I mean, I like it when people are forward, not too forward of course, but forward like normal amounts, I just-"

"Blaine, who's rambling now?" Kurt asked, his eyes twinkling with laughter.

Blaine clamped his mouth shut and immediately stopped talking.

"Would you like to go out to dinner this Friday night?" Kurt asked, a smile still on his face.

Returning Kurt's smile, Blaine nodded happily. "Sure."

"There's this cute little Italian place a suburb away," Kurt suggested and Blaine nodded.

"I love Italian."

"Perfect," Kurt said with a smile.

Pulling his phone out of his pocket, Kurt offered it to Blaine. "Put your number in."

Blaine did so before handing his own phone over to Kurt who did the same.

"Anyway, I have yard duty second half of lunch," Kurt said, reluctantly standing up, wishing he could sit and chat to Blaine for longer, "But I'll talk to you later."

"I hope so."

With one last smile exchanged, Kurt left, leaving Blaine with the goofiest grin on his face.

And suddenly, Wednesday was looking up.

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><p><strong>AN: Still not sure how I'm feeling about this fic. Should I continue? Drop a review and let me know :) Speaking of reviews, thank-you for the lovely ones this fic received :)<strong>

**Anyway I hope you guys liked the chapter even though it was a nothing chapter :P X**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Hi, all! I'm so sorry that I just abandoned this fic months back, I did intend to continue but things got in the way and other stories took over and here we are. I thought I'd write another chapter at least for the people eagerly awaiting this, apologies again that I took so long to deliver! If enough people want me to, I'm hoping to put enough time aside to continue this fic - but no promises on how often I'll get the chance to update. **

**Hope you guys enjoy this chapter :) X**

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><p>The following two days passed in shared smiles and snippets of conversation interrupted by various other teachers. Kurt found himself quickly falling back into the routine of work, missing the sleep-ins and lazy afternoons the previous weeks of holidays had provided.<p>

Blaine was settling into the new school nicely, feeling as welcome as if he'd been there for years. It was such a different atmosphere to his old workplace and he knew that if nothing else positive could come out of the disaster of the year before, he could at least count this as a win.

Towards the end of lunch on Friday, Blaine ran into Kurt, literally, as he sped out of the staffroom to collect a form he'd forgotten to give someone. If he didn't grab it now he'd miss his chance, but when he saw those stunning, glasz eyes he stopped in his tracks.

"Still on for tonight?" Kurt asked, unaware of the complimentary thoughts running through Blaine's mind as he stared at Kurt, wondering how it was possible he looked even better than he had this morning when they'd briefly met in the corridor.

"Absolutely!" Blaine replied with a grin, looking forward to the date more than he'd like to admit. "Meet outside at 7?"

"7 it is."

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><p>Pulling his scarf closer in the chilling breeze, Kurt peered down the street, left then right, for what had to be the dozenth time in the past 5 minutes. He checked the time once more, sighing at the numbers staring back at him that indicated Blaine was now almost half an hour late.<p>

_He's not coming._

It would be a lie if Kurt said he hadn't been eager for this evening, maybe too eager if he was being honest, and the thought that he'd been alone in this excitement made him feel like even more of a joke. The strange thing was, Blaine had seemed just as enthusiastic when they'd spoken last and he really didn't seem the kind to just leave someone in the lurch.

After a few more minutes, Kurt decided it was about time to try calling Blaine, hoping he didn't seem too desperate, before trudging home for a well-deserved night in pj's with ice cream, _Rent _and Rachel.

But just as he was reaching in his pocket for his phone, Blaine appeared in a complete fluster, attempting a mix between a skip and a run that Kurt couldn't help but find ridiculously adorable.

"Hi, I'm _so_ sorry I'm late, I was already running behind and then my mum called _just_ as I was leaving and I couldn't get her off the phone and then I almost got lost and all the while I was just imagining you standing out here, waiting, thinking you were stood up, and to make matters worse my phone died so I couldn't even text you letting you know any of this," Blaine managed in what appeared to be one breath, clutching his chest comically as he panted for air.

Kurt stared back, eyes amused as he took in Blaine's disheveled appearance, shirt half-tucked, bow-tie askew, hair a disarray. It was less formal than his normal work attire but not casual enough to suggest he hadn't taken the time to pick the perfect outfit.

His hazel eyes were just as bright and inviting as always and Kurt knew that even if he were mad about the circumstances, he could never stay that way for long, not when Blaine was looking at him in a way that made him almost shiver. It was like he had never seen someone so beautiful before in his life and Kurt almost cowered away from the attention.

It had been a long time since anyone had found him even remotely attractive.

"Hi," Kurt greeted in reply and Blaine returned his smile, so glad that his date didn't appear upset. It had definitely not been his intention to begin the evening in such a manner and the whole drive there he'd worried about Kurt's reaction.

"I really am sorry for being so late-" Blaine began, only to be cut off by Kurt.

"It's fine," he assured, that gorgeous smile still in place, "I _was _wondering if you'd decided to run for the hills when you saw my hair completely free of product today – not my fault by the way, my _delightful _friend who's visiting decided it would be fun to hide my hairspray because I didn't allow her to hang this _ginormous_ poster of herself in my living room; thank God I found my emergency can before tonight – but I am incredibly glad that you weren't scared off by my appearance au naturale."

Blaine had felt the grin creep onto his face almost as soon as Kurt had started talking and couldn't help the chuckle that escaped when he finished.

"Oh God, so many ways I could respond to that," Blaine teased with that same grin and he was awarded with Kurt's melodious laughter, bubbling out beyond control.

"Well, choose wisely," Kurt said seriously, trying - and failing - to hide a grin of his own, "I am most definitely expecting an eloquent response to that excellent display of my rambling skills."

Blaine smiled again, something he just knew he'd be doing a lot of tonight, and spoke without thought.

"As if your hair could be anything but perfect," he blurted, smiling when Kurt coloured lightly at the compliment. "Um, yeah…that's the response I'm gonna go with, I think…"

"Thanks," Kurt said genuinely, berating himself for blushing and giggling like a preteen girl. "Yours isn't so bad either, especially free of that gel you insist on wearing to work."

Blaine grinned, self-consciously bringing a hand to his hair to check if it was still in place. "Well thank-you, but as you can see, it gets a bit out of hand without the gel to tame it."

They shared another smile and both at once realised they had been standing outside for much too long considering the temperature.

"Shall we?" Kurt asked, gesturing to the restaurant awaiting them.

"We shall."

The warm, welcoming aroma of freshly made food greeted them as soon as they walked in the door and they waited less than a minute before being ushered to a table at the back half of the room. Menus were already in place and they chose their meals after a fair amount of deliberation that was riddled with witty banter.

"So what made you want to be a teacher?" Kurt asked once their food had come, surprisingly quickly for a busy Friday night. The place was filled with couples and a few families, and Kurt enjoyed the fact that he was on a date instead of eating out with his parents like he often did.

"I've always loved kids," Blaine said honestly, thinking back to the days when he'd been contemplating what career path to go down.

Music had been his other love but his parents had been fast to tell him how unrealistic that was. So he'd chosen the easier of his two passions to pursue and here he was.

"My older brother has two littlies," Blaine went on, "And during my senior year the eldest was just old enough to start school. He came home one day not understanding whatever the teacher had attempted to teach him and asked Coop – my brother – if Uncle Blainey could come over and help him understand. Apparently all my babysitting and piano lessons made me the only one who Jack could learn from. And that made my mind up, I wanted to be an elementary school teacher."

Kurt couldn't keep the smile off his face during Blaine's story, finding it difficult not to _aw _several times. This guy seemed like such a sweetheart and that was just the kind of person Kurt wanted to be with. He wondered if it was too preemptive to be ticking off boxes in his head for _The Perfect Boyfriend_.

So far Blaine was doing _extremely _well.

"That's so sweet!" Kurt said, hoping he didn't sound too much like he was gushing.

Blaine shrugged, looking down at his food with a small smile, "It sounds cuter than it was. How about you? Why did you want to be a teacher?"

Worrying his lip and avoiding Blaine's intrigued gaze, Kurt considered how to word his answer. The reasoning behind Blaine becoming a teacher was so…_sublime_, and his had been a matter of convenience and lack of choice. When put like that, it seemed so flippant, and he hoped Blaine wouldn't think less of him for it.

Somehow, Kurt knew he wouldn't.

"If I'm being honest, it was never something I even considered until my Dad had another heart attack," Kurt said quietly, strangely finding it easy to open up. His father wasn't something that he usually liked to talk about but Blaine made him feel as if he could share anything. "He's still not very well and although my stepmum is a nurse, I knew I couldn't leave him."

Blaine nodded, listening intently and his small, empathetic smile of encouragement urged Kurt to continue.

"I always wanted to go to New York, you see. The Broadway pipe dream. If Dad was healthy I think I'd be there now."

"I'm glad you're not," Blaine murmured, eyes widening when he realised he'd said his thoughts out loud. "God, that sounded horrible, I didn't mean it how it sounded, I swear, I'm sorry your Dad's unwell and that you haven't achieved your dreams, I just meant if you were in New York we wouldn't be here and I wouldn't have met you and I wouldn't be severely enjoying your company."

An amused grin played at Kurt's lips and he almost laughed at the sudden, adorable worry on Blaine's face.

"I knew what you meant," Kurt said, "And in that sense, I'm really glad I'm not there, too."

Blaine smiled, a blush still on his cheeks that he hoped would go away soon. "Anyway, what were you saying before I interrupted with my big mouth?"

Kurt chuckled, "Well, to cut a long story short, I decided to stay in Ohio instead of moving to New York with my best friend, and teaching was one of the few careers I thought I could stand instead of being on stage."

Kurt cringed as soon as the words left his mouth and he hastened to explain, "That sounds awful. I don't in any way mean to say teaching isn't a great job, it's just at the time nothing could replace performing for me. You probably think it's dumb, I know most people do."

"I don't think it's dumb at all," Blaine said quickly, "Music's a big part of my life too. If I didn't go with teaching, it would've been performing for me too. Probably not musical theatre, although it is something I love, I would've tried something in the music industry, though."

Kurt smiled, mentally checking off the box that said _love of music_.

"So do you sing, or play?" Kurt asked, conjuring up images of Blaine in a band, something he'd never thought of as incredibly sexy until then. He imagined being the supportive boyfriend and going along to all the concerts, no matter what. Each song Blaine would dedicate to his love and he'd sing directly to him, the crowd melting away into the background.

Oh, and he'd write Kurt a song too, of course. Several, highlighting every little thing he loved about his boyfriend and the deep emotions he felt for him.

"Both," Blaine replied, bringing Kurt back to reality, "Singing is what I enjoy most but I also play piano and guitar."

They discussed their tastes in music as they finished dinner, not at all ready to leave yet, until the topic swayed back to teaching.

"I was thinking," Blaine began, unconsciously running his finger around the rim of his glass of wine in an incredibly distracting manner, "About how to get through to your students."

Kurt's eyebrows shot up in pleasant surprise and he regarded the man in front of him with contained curiosity. "You've actually spent time thinking about that?"

Realising he might've just come across slightly too forward on the first date, Blaine blushed and became suddenly interested in his hands. "It affected you, so, of course."

Kurt felt a huge grin tug at his lips that he tried quickly to hide so as not to look overly eager. The thought that Blaine had wasted valuable time thinking about something of little importance to himself, but that held significance _for Kurt,_ was almost too sweet for the young teacher to take in.

"So what did you come up with?" Kurt asked, hand on chin and eyes unwavering, giving Blaine his full attention.

"Well, you were saying earlier that your Lit students were generally fine, right? And that it's your French classes, one in particular, that you're finding difficult to rein in?"

Kurt nodded, pleased that Blaine had obviously been listening.

"When it comes to French, do you give them a fair amount of textbook work?"

"Well, yeah, that's how I learnt it back in high school," Kurt admitted, realising he was almost mirroring exactly how his French teacher had taught him.

"Right, but you were a conscientious, enthusiastic student who was willing to learn," Blaine stated and Kurt was pleasantly surprised at how well his date knew him already. "Sounds like these kids aren't in the same mind frame. You've gotta help them there, get them interested in the prospect of discovering the beauty of the language.

"Maybe take them to go see a French film, or just turn one of the textbook activities each lesson into more than just reading and writing. Like make some sort of game out of it, that sounds childish but I assure you students will do_ anything _at the chance of winning a prize."

"So basically I bribe them to learn?" Kurt asked, a million different ideas already coming to mind. It was strange, he'd thought he'd tried everything to get his class motivated but it was like Blaine had just opened up a whole new world of possibilities that Kurt hadn't even considered, despite their simplicity.

Blaine grinned, "Basically. Chocolate works well."

Taking a sip of his drink, Kurt cocked his head to the side and regarded Blaine with a thoughtful expression.

"You're too smart to teach elementary school," Kurt said, nudging Blaine's foot with his under the table.

Blaine smiled, one of his dazzling, heart-stuttering smiles and bravely latched his foot around Kurt's ankle in return. "You're too attractive to even be teaching in a school."

Their eyes met quickly and they both burst out laughing, receiving a few looks for being so loud.

"That sounded like such a line," Blaine managed through spluttered laughter that only made Kurt laugh harder. "I'm sorry."

It took Blaine another few seconds to realise his foot was still trapping Kurt's and he made to remove it, only for Kurt to hook his own foot further around Blaine's ankle, offering a coy smile as he did so.

"I'm sorry, I'm terrible when it comes to first dates," Blaine said honestly, wishing he wasn't making such a mess of _everything_. "It's been a while since I've been on one."

Kurt arched an eyebrow at this, having expected Blaine to be the kind that attracted many, "How come? I mean, I don't mean to pry, but-"

"It's fine," Blaine said quickly, "I'd like for you to know."

Kurt felt a small smile settle on his face at this and he nodded for Blaine to continue, a warm, fuzzy feeling filling him at the knowledge that Blaine wanted to share his past with him.

"I was in a fairly serious relationship until last year," Blaine explained, feeling the familiar cold reach his chest as he thought of his ex, "One day everything was perfect, we were talking about marriage and our future, then the next he just left. I came back from work one night and his stuff was all gone."

Kurt fought the urge to gasp, completely horrified that someone would just leave in that way. He'd seen it in movies but had never thought it was actually done in real life. And to someone as lovely as Blaine, it just wasn't fair.

"All he left was a note saying _I'm sorry_," Blaine continued, his voice taking on an almost bitter quality as he remembered walking into their near-empty apartment, tears flowing once he'd found the note. "Like an apology could fix everything.

"Anyway, this has been my first date since. It was too painful to consider dating until recently, and you're the first person since that I've actually genuinely wanted to get to know," Blaine admitted, his gaze meeting Kurt's only to find a saddened expression on his face.

"Oh, God, I've just turned this into the depressing tales of my life, I'm so sorry!" Blaine cried, "I repeat, I'm _terrible _at first dates."

With a small smile, Kurt shook his head and reached out to take Blaine's hand, "You're doing a pretty good job so far."

Conversation continued a while longer as they worked their way through a bottle of wine, Kurt listening as Blaine told him more about the jerk, Michael, and how although it's taken him a whole year to realise it, he's actually better off without him. Kurt agreed, assuring him that this _Michael _didn't deserve Blaine one bit and that it was definitely a good thing he was moving on to greener pastures.

After a dispute over who would pay for dinner, one that Kurt eventually won under the pretenses that he had asked out Blaine therefore he should get the bill, they left the restaurant and deliberated going for a walk before deciding against it because of the cold.

"Next time," Blaine promised as he walked Kurt to his navigator, looking forward to any excuse that meant holding hands.

"Definitely," Kurt agreed, excited at the prospect of another date. Tonight had been wonderful - _magical, even -_ and he couldn't wait to spend more time with Blaine.

They stopped next to Kurt's car and both looked at each other for a second before Blaine couldn't hold back any longer and closed the distance between them, bringing his lips to Kurt's. Surprised, but pleasantly so, Kurt faltered for only a moment before he melted into the kiss.

When it appeared that neither had any intention of pulling away, Kurt brought a steady hand to Blaine's waist and fisted the other in the material of Blaine's shirt, kissing deeper. Blaine's fingers curled around the side of Kurt's face, bringing him closer and closer.

They eventually broke apart with giddy smiles and floundering hearts as if they were teenagers sharing a first kiss. Kurt instinctively went to pull his scarf closer but realised he didn't feel so cold anymore. In fact, a warmth had settled within him and he wondered if his heart might beat right out of his chest.

He smiled at Blaine, suddenly feeling shy. "Thanks for tonight."

Blaine returned the smile, fighting the urge to reply with a peppering of kisses instead of words. "I had a great time," he said honestly, wishing the evening wasn't coming to a close.

"Me too."

A short silence set in before Blaine murmured a goodbye and they both leant in, mouths meeting in the middle for a chaste kiss goodnight.

"I'll see you Monday," Kurt breathed, reminding himself it was generally a good thing to inhale and exhale respectively.

"Lunch date?" Blaine asked hopefully.

Kurt grinned, "Save me a seat in the staffroom."

With one last smile, Blaine repeated his goodbye and headed to his car further down the street, offering Kurt a quick wave before opening the door and clambering in.

He sat still for a moment, not moving to put his key in the ignition yet, just wanting to savour this feeling. Nobody had made him feel this way in a long, long time and he knew that meant something.

With the grin that had refused to leave his face since his lips had first touched Kurt's, Blaine took out his phone and wrote a quick message to send to Tanya, the godsend matchmaker.

_Thank-you!_

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><p><strong>AN: Again, sorry about the wait! Feedback is always appreciated and I'd love for you to let me know if you want more of this :) Thanks for the kind reviews so far! Just some shameless self promotion, you might want to check out <em>London, Baby <em>or _Forever, I Vow_, two fics that I update more regularly because, as I said, if I do continue this I don't know how often I'll be able to update. **

**Hope you're all well and you survive the next Glee episode :) Review! X**


	4. Chapter 4

"I'm in love," Kurt sang in a dreamy voice, waltzing into his apartment later that night.

Rachel looked up from the rerun of _Gossip Girl _she was watching and grinned at her best friend, taking in the dazed expression on his face that she'd only seen there once before.

"So I take it the date went well?" she asked, getting up off the couch and following Kurt as he practically floated into the next room.

"Yes," he breathed, thinking of the kiss that had left him breathless and the ones that followed, "It went wonderful, _he's _wonderful. I'm telling you, it's like Robert Downey Jr. and Ryan Gosling had a child together and gave him Neil Patrick Harris' sense of humour."

"Is that so?" Rachel asked, highly amused by Kurt's swooning.

"And his smile is so lovely, I mean who has teeth like that, was his former career advertising toothpaste or something?" Kurt pondered aloud, almost forgetting that Rachel was in the room for a second before he turned to face her again, still wearing that dreamy look, "And those _eyes_, it's so hard to concentrate on what he's saying when such gorgeous, bright orbs are staring back at me, but I _want _to concentrate because what he's saying is so interesting and we have so much in common and _he's perfect_, Rach!"

Holding back a laugh, Rachel held out her arms to pull Kurt into a hug, patting his back in an attempt to calm her best friend down. It was so rare that he acted like this, buoyant and completely smitten. She knew he'd deny it later, swearing that he had been nothing but his usual composed and coherent self, but for now she could enjoy him waxing lyrical, glad he'd found someone who seemed to have put the light back in his eyes.

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><p>For probably the first time in his life, Kurt just wanted the weekend to be over. Instead it went by agonizingly slowly, taking much too long for Monday to arrive. Kurt spent the two days catching up with Rachel, hearing all about the exciting new musical she was working on and drinking copious amounts of wine to convince himself he wasn't jealous.<p>

She was only staying for another week for their bi-annual catch up before she left for New York again so Kurt tried his best to put his envy aside and soak up as much of her acquired charm as he could. It had been pleasant and he enjoyed spending time with his best friend, but every so often he would get distracted with what Rachel had dubbed _Blaine cravings_. He wasn't proud of it, they'd only been out on one date, but it did appear that Kurt was quickly developing rather strong feelings for the handsome, new first-grade teacher.

When it was finally Monday, Kurt found himself changing his outfit eight times before work, a stretch even for him. With practiced precision, he styled his hair into its usual coif, feeling his heart swoop as he remembered Blaine's comment about his hair always being perfect. He impatiently made his way through the morning, checking the time more often than not, eagerly awaiting lunch and what it would bring.

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><p>As much as she'd like to say she predicted it, Tanya had not at all expected just how much Kurt and Blaine would click. She had received messages from both of them with varying degrees of <em>thank-you'<em>s and _bless you and your cow_'s for setting them up, as well as a long, gushing message of Blaine's perfection that she suspected Kurt had sent whilst heavily intoxicated.

But it didn't matter because apparently their date had gone swimmingly and she couldn't be more pleased.

Tanya hadn't gotten the chance to talk to either of her friends more than a few texts over the weekend so when she spied Blaine in the staffroom at lunch it was without hesitation that she approached. As she got closer she noticed that he was sitting there holding a single rose, looking at the flower like it was the strangest object he had ever come across.

"Hi there, Romeo!" Tanya greeted as she reached him, grinning when Blaine's head snapped up to see her.

He offered her a wave and a small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes before looking down at the rose again, deep in thought.

Still smiling, Tanya went to take a seat across from Blaine only to see his arm shoot out in the universal 'stop' motion.

"Sorry to be incredibly rude, but would you mind not sitting there?"

Taken aback, Tanya made to get up, a hurt expression beginning to form on her face as she turned to walk away.

"No!" Blaine exclaimed quickly, "You can sit one seat over or next to me. Just not that exact seat…if that's okay."

Raising an eyebrow, Tanya sank into a different seat and gave Blaine an expectant look, extremely curious as to why he was acting so mysterious.

"I was hoping Kurt would sit there," he admitted quietly, blanching and avoiding the amused look he knew would be all over his friend's face.

"Oh, honey, you're stuck like glue," Tanya teased, taking a bite from her apple as if she hadn't just confirmed Blaine's fears.

Blaine groaned, "Am I that obvious?"

"Yes, but it's adorable," she assured, "And I'll have you know, Kurt's similarly smitten."

This seemed to placate Blaine and he sighed in relief, glad that he hadn't made the whole thing up in his head. He knew relationships would never come easy to him anymore but that didn't stop him from wanting this one to work out. And wow, there he was again, jumping in headfirst without a second thought. They'd only _just met_, he really needed to stop doing this. That's how things with Michael had started and just look how _that_ turned out…

"Whatcha got there?" Tanya asked, pulling Blaine out of his thoughts and gesturing to the rose still in his hand that he'd been unconsciously twirling as they spoke.

"It's for Kurt," Blaine explained, feeling heat reach his face again, "We kinda joked about having a lunch date and I guess I thought it would be nice…"

Tanya couldn't help but smile, already imagining Kurt's face when Blaine gave him the rose. He would try and hide his smile and would most definitely blush to the tips of his ears but she knew that meant he was secretly delighted.

She'd only known Kurt just over a year, but in those twelve months she'd learnt quite a bit about him and was only one girls-night-out away from discovering exactly what made Kurt Hummel tick. However, one thing she _had_ discovered was that Kurt wasn't used to people treating him like he was special. Of course, this was ludicrous, he deserved such treatment, but people didn't tend to offer it.

It seemed natural, almost in his very blood, for Blaine to make a fuss over those he cared about and Tanya couldn't express how happy she was that Kurt would now have someone to make him feel special, as he so rightfully deserved.

"It's too much, isn't it?" Blaine asked, becoming more and more worried the longer Tanya stayed quiet, "It's just I had _such _a good time on Friday and we've been texting all weekend and I really, _really, _like him and I just thought…" he sighed, "It's too much, isn't it?"

Tanya grinned and shook her head, loving the way both he and Kurt rambled when they were nervous.

"He'll love it," she promised, patting him on the hand and returning to her apple.

They chatted for a few moments longer, mostly Blaine stressing and Tanya reassuring, before she spotted a familiar perfectly-styled head of hair and smiled, waving Kurt over.

"Breathe and you'll be fine," she whispered to Blaine with a grin, already getting up to give them some time alone.

Instantly Blaine felt his heart leap and he sighed. He didn't really know why he was nervous, they'd already gone out on a date and if the way Kurt had kissed him back was any indication, their feelings were certainly mutual. Still, he didn't want to act over enthusiastic, doing so hadn't done him any favours in the past and sitting there, rose in hand, on their not-quite-second date was hardly subtle. Not that Blaine Anderson had ever been one for subtlety…

"Hi."

Lost in thought, Blaine hadn't heard Kurt approaching and now he was right in front of him, eyes alight and gesturing to the chair across from Blaine.

"Is anyone sitting here?" he asked, smile in place as if daring Blaine to say yes.

He only faltered for a second, a moment necessary for him to take in and appreciate Kurt's appearance in its entirety, before he responded.

"Yes, _you_ are," Blaine replied smoothly, shooting out of his seat and pulling out the chair opposite for Kurt to sit in.

Kurt arched an eyebrow, pleasantly surprised - especially considering their setting, but didn't say anything until they were both seated again.

"You know, some say chivalry is dead," Kurt commented casually.

Blaine offered him a lopsided grin and shrugged, "I happen to disagree."

He may have imagined it but Blaine could've sworn he caught what could only be described as a look of delight cross Kurt's face at his words, and with that, his heart beat started to slow.

"So, the rose…" Kurt trailed off, eyeing Blaine with equal parts amusement and curiosity.

"It's for you," Blaine said, offering the flower to Kurt who couldn't keep the smile off his face as he took it, "We said a lunch date. This is my attempt at making it more romantic."

They both looked at their surroundings, teachers talking loudly and the smell of someone's lunch burning clear in the air, and promptly burst out laughing.

"Such a romantic setting," Kurt joked, still holding the rose tightly, refusing to let it go.

Blaine grinned, "Don't worry, our next date will be better."

"Is that a promise?" Kurt asked immediately, the beginnings of another smile at his lips. He felt his heart twitch when Blaine's smile grew in return, somehow becoming more real and even more dazzling than before.

"Of course. And I'll have you know, I keep my promises."

Kurt's eyes twinkled as he held back yet another smile, "Duly noted."

A short silence set in as their eyes met again and Kurt wondered for the third time in that conversation alone how he'd managed to stumble across someone like Blaine. He was kind and honest and the perfect gentleman and undeniably attractive, something made even more obvious by the fact that he had no idea of the extent of his looks.

He seemed to have no issue acting like a complete dork if it meant he got even a smile in return and Kurt loved that about him; he'd never been able to picture himself with anyone who took themselves too seriously. Not that he'd ever imagined someone like Blaine taking up so much of his thoughts either, but that was probably due to the fact that he was so unlike anyone Kurt had ever met before - but in, perhaps, the best way possible.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Blaine eventually asked, cocking his head to the side and regarding Kurt with a warm and inquisitive expression.

Kurt shook his head with a grin, "Nuh-uh. You first."

Blaine pouted, causing a laugh and fond smile from Kurt, before shrugging, "Your eyes are really expressive."

"…What?"

"I feel like sometimes they tell more of a story than your words do," Blaine mused, gazing directly into Kurt's eyes and smiling when Kurt's face started to redden. He loved making Kurt blush.

"Who even talks like that?" Kurt teased, ducking his head to hide the proof of his embarrassment. He could pretend all he wanted that the throwaway comment hadn't affected him in the slightest but the fast beat of his heart said otherwise.

"Your turn," Blaine insisted, nudging Kurt's foot with his own and bringing him back to earth, "What were _you_ thinking about?"

A smirk made its way onto Kurt's face, "_Oh_, you know, just the usual, school-related thoughts."

"Liar!" Blaine cried through a laugh, forgetting their whereabouts for a moment and sinking lower in his seat when more than a few stares came their way. Kurt just about collapsed from laughing and Blaine kicked him.

"Ow!" Kurt kicked him back, experiencing what could only be described as a thrill at acting so childish and somehow enjoying it.

After a mini footsie war and a small, comfortable silence, Blaine's eyes dropped to the table where his forgotten sandwich lay and he began to laugh again.

"You realise we've both been sitting here, during _lunch_, for who knows how long and we're yet to actually eat anything?"

Kurt looked down at his lap where his container of salad sat, unopened, and realised with a shock that he hadn't even thought about food since entering the staffroom. And Kurt Hummel forgetting food at lunchtime was incredibly rare.

"My God, you're right. And I'm _starving_!" Kurt admitted, ripping open his salad and quickly taking a bite as Blaine watched on with a grin, marveling at how endearing Kurt managed to be without even trying.

They finished their lunch quickly, continuing to chat until the music sounded, signaling the end of lunch. It was with a reluctant sigh that they got up and headed to the door, wishing their conversation didn't have to stop.

Sidestepping in front of Blaine, Kurt held the door open for him, flashing him a playful smile as he did so. "I'm being chivalrous," he explained, gesturing for Blaine to walk ahead of him.

Blaine grinned, "I've taught you well."

When it came time to say goodbye a moment later, Kurt found himself staring at Blaine's lips, wishing he could lean over and kiss him, even just for a second, but knowing he couldn't. Instead he offered him a smile.

"Have a good class," Kurt said feebly and Blaine smiled too.

"You too."

Aware of their surroundings and the limitations they created, Blaine took Kurt's hand in his and squeezed it lightly before they parted. He could've sworn he felt that short but comforting handhold the rest of the way to class.

It wasn't until school let out that Blaine allowed himself to think of Kurt again, suspecting that his mind would be completely overtaken by him. He checked his phone as he set in to plan an activity for the next day and grinned when he saw a new message.

_After dinner drinks with Tanya? I promise no-one will be third wheeling, she tends to make her own friends quite easily. Besides, she knows it's mostly an excuse for me to see you. _

He replied with a resounding _Yes! _before even thinking about it. Tanya was right, he really was stuck.

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><p><strong>AN: Hey guys! Hope you're all well! Sorry this was yet another short chapter, each time I write any of this fic it turns out short but feels like it ends at the right time so I think that's how this fic is gonna be, short but (hopefully) cute updates :)<strong>

**Also I'm from Australia and at our schools we have music before the bell so people know when to start going to class. I assume it's the same in America? Apologies if anything about the American education system in this story is wrong, I've (unfortunately) never been there so I'm doing my best :) **

**Thank-you for the lovely reviews, you all make me smile so much! Keep them coming :) X**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: ****So I guess this is the part where I apologise? I got so caught up in writing London, Baby that I've neglected my other fics and then I got super busy and yes, for anyone wondering, the epilogue for that story is coming, I've just had so much happening recently and some unfortunate writer's block but it is a work in progress. Anyway here is the next chapter for_ this_ fic, a bit more subtle character development/backstory this chapter I guess. Hope you guys like :) Reviews are always welcome and appreciated! X**

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><p>By the time Blaine reached the bar that night, Tanya was already on her third drink whilst Kurt nursed his first and listened to her rant about a certain student who made her question her desire to be an educator. She was listing the student's frustrating habits when her eyes met Blaine's across the room and she squealed mid-sentence, making large gestures for him to join them. Blaine grinned and made his way over, feeling his smile automatically grow when Kurt turned around to see him.<p>

Those beautiful glasz eyes locked on his and Blaine unconsciously sped up to reach Kurt sooner. It had only been a few hours since he'd last seen Kurt but somehow it had felt far too long.

"Hi," Kurt breathed once they were face to face. It came out like a rush of air, as if he couldn't say the word quick enough and his cheeks began to pink in delight.

"Hi," Blaine echoed, sounding equally smitten. He leant over to kiss Kurt's cheek in greeting, only for Kurt to turn his head slightly and catch Blaine's lips with his. It was almost embarrassing how quickly Blaine felt himself smile into the kiss but he was too focused on the insistent pressing of Kurt's lips against his to care.

"Not gonna lie, I've kinda been wanting to do that all day," Kurt admitted, grinning when Blaine leant in to kiss him again. It was only a short peck but Kurt's pulse still quickened.

"Me too." Blaine's smile grew impossibly wider as Kurt patted the seat next to him, the one Tanya had conveniently vacated after wolf-whistling loudly, not that either of them had noticed. Blaine sat down and gestured for the barman to come over, checking if Kurt wanted another drink before ordering a beer for himself.

"Unlike Tanya, I'm not much of a drinker," Kurt explained with a shrug, "I can appreciate a drink or two to take the edge off, but apart from that I tend to steer clear of alcohol. Besides, it's a school night."

"That doesn't seem to have stopped Tanya," Blaine noted, nodding to the far corner where the redhead was chatting to a group of girls, new drink in hand.

Kurt's gaze followed Blaine's and he wiggled his fingers in return when Tanya caught his eye and waved, "Oh, she has tomorrow off. Trust me, when we're both working the next day our after-dinner drinks consist of coke with maybe a nip of alcohol at most. It gets pretty wild," Kurt joked, taking a sip of his drink.

"I'm sure you can be wild," Blaine teased, throwing Kurt an over-exaggerated wink, almost causing him to choke on his drink as he struggled to hold back a laugh. Blaine hid a grin whilst Kurt tried to compose himself, still choking on laughter as he willed away the faint blush he felt reach his cheeks.

"S-so how was the rest of your day?" Kurt managed eventually, voice purposefully casual as he glared at Blaine who was now laughing into his drink. He resisted the urge to upturn his own glass over Blaine's gelled curls and chose to instead elbow him in the ribs. That got a reaction and Blaine promptly stopped snickering long enough to reply.

"Fantastic!" His enthusiasm was infectious and just like that, Kurt was grinning like an idiot again. "One of my kids - her name's Kira. She's the cutest little thing you'll ever meet – wrote a story on the weekend and she shared it with the class and I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say she's going to be the next J. K. Rowling."

Kurt arched an eyebrow, that smile still present on his lips as he regarded Blaine curiously. "And what was the future billion-dollar author's story about?"

"A talking horse," Blaine said proudly and they both laughed until Blaine stuck a hand up to shush Kurt, "No, but he's not _just_ a talking horse, he helps all the other horses with his magic powers and his hidden ability to fly!"

Kurt snorted at that, finding Blaine's childlike spirit more endearing than he was willing to admit. There was something about him, something Kurt hadn't found in another person before beyond the usual positivity of some of his colleagues and that of one Miss Rachel Berry. It was no secret that Kurt had developed somewhat of a cynical outlook on life - hell he'd been through enough to justify it - and he was starting to realise just how much he needed a little optimism to balance him out. Although he hated the idea of someone overly chipper twenty four hours a day, he wouldn't complain if that certain someone happened to be Blaine, oh he wouldn't complain at all.

"I think your grasp on the definition of good literature is slipping," Kurt teased, feeling his heart stutter when Blaine simply laughed and reached a hand across the bar to lace their fingers together.

"And how was your day?"

Kurt paused for a second, eyes flickering down to their joined hands before settling on Blaine's eyes again, taking in the soft smile gracing Blaine's face. "It was good. Lunchtime was a bore though, there's this really weird guy at work…"

"You're mean," Blaine pouted.

"And you're cute," Kurt said before he could stop the words from spilling out. Blaine's face had been scrunched up in the most adorable way, his petulant expression more pronounced than ever and Kurt hadn't meant to say his thoughts aloud. He knew in approximately seven seconds his blush would be in full force and he hid his face in his hands in anticipation.

"I know," Blaine agreed, pulling Kurt's hands away gently and bringing one to his lips to place a quick kiss there. Kurt's blush darkened. "But so are you."

Feeling his stomach swoop in the most pleasant way, Kurt smiled and squeezed Blaine's hand in his before their conversation continued. Within seconds they were laughing again and it wasn't until a familiar melody reached their ears that their constant banter halted.

"I _love _this song!" Blaine practically moaned, the sound loud and unexpected, and if only he knew what that did to Kurt. Blaine automatically shot out of his seat, setting his empty glass down and extending a hand to Kurt. "Dance with me?"

Looking slightly unsure, Kurt eyed their surroundings and wasn't surprised to see Tanya already moving in time to the music a few feet away. She was with the same girls as earlier though her entourage had grown and two guys were also dancing nearby. Only a dozen or so other people were scattered across the makeshift dance floor, limbs moving in quick succession and, deciding he couldn't possibly look worse than them, Kurt took Blaine's hand with a quick grin and let him lead them into the fray.

The beat was fast and blaring and Blaine was quick to lose himself in the music. His moves were distinctly '80s style and he felt like a fool but Kurt was laughing and so was he and that was all he cared about in that moment. He reached out a hand to entwine with Kurt's and pull him closer until they were both bopping away, only inches apart.

As he swung his hips and shimmied to his heart's content, Kurt couldn't shake the feeling that everyone was watching, like every eye in the bar was on him and he felt ridiculous. But then Blaine was twirling him, bringing him impossibly closer and he forgot how to think.

He had missed this. He had missed acting silly, having a good time, he'd missed _dancing _– even in a low-key sense, he just missed performing and expressing himself through music. Life had been much too serious the past few years and he relished in the chance to let his hair down.

Another one-hit-wonder played next and the two pulled out even more hilarious dance moves before the beat slowed to a quiet ballad and everyone began to pair off.

"I love this song too," Blaine murmured, tugging Kurt even closer and resting a hand on his back so that nearly every part of their bodies were touching. He wound their fingers together again and began to sway them slightly. "Is this okay?"

A little dumbstruck at the sudden change of pace and position, Kurt nodded once before shuffling even closer to lay his head on Blaine's shoulder. Like this, Kurt could feel every breath Blaine took and the way his shoulders dropped slightly after each exhale. It was more intimate than Kurt had expected for their not-really-third date but he wasn't about to protest. Instead he let Blaine move them from side to side, smiling because he hadn't felt this alive in years.

The song finished much too soon, a faster pop tune taking its place and they both reluctantly pulled away, searching each other's eyes. "I – that was nice," Kurt said softly, because it was and he felt the need to say it, though nice barely covered what they had just shared.

"Mhmm," Blaine agreed, reaching for Kurt's hand again and nodding towards the bar. "So nice that I think I need to sit and recover for a sec."

Kurt grinned and followed him to their seats, a warmth spreading from the tips of his fingers and traveling up the arm that was tangled with Blaine's. Their hands never parted as they took their seats and began a discussion about glee club and how the choreographed moves from their high school days would haunt them for years to come. Kurt vividly retold the story of how in his sophomore year two of his friends taught him the dance to _Single Ladies_, spandex and all, and Blaine tried his best to will away decidedly inappropriate thoughts.

As Kurt spoke, Blaine's eyes never strayed from his for a second, though the entire time his fingers played with Kurt's absentmindedly. Brushing a thumb over his knuckles, following the trail of a vein from wrist to the very edge of a finger. It was distracting to say the least, distracting in a way Kurt very rarely experienced anymore.

"So you're a fan of holding hands?" Kurt asked eventually, not being able to hold the question back any longer. He hadn't meant to ask, he really didn't want to but as per usual, the words tumbled out anyway

"Yeah, I am," Blaine answered honestly, his smile faltering slightly as he retracted his hand from Kurt's. They both immediately missed the warmth. "Sorry, I didn't even think, I mean if it makes you uncomfortable in public -"

"No," Kurt said quickly, "I like it."

Blaine smiled, "Well I like you," he replied smoothly and even though Kurt had guessed as much, his heart still sped up at the admission. "I know Ohio's still close-minded and unfortunately, that seems to be set in stone, but I refuse to live by this stupid town's standards of what is and isn't acceptable. Yes, we may have gotten a few looks tonight, but that won't stop me from enjoying my night and holding the hand of my date like every other couple in this joint."

There was a sudden determination clear in Blaine's eyes, a conviction that became more and more evident as he spoke and Kurt felt privileged to see this different side to the generally calm teacher. It was refreshing to hear his views on such an important topic, too.

Kurt had been out with a boy once who was still in the closet, denying who he was to everyone but Kurt, the one person he had confided in. The couple of dates they went on were…detrimental. Each hour spent with him, Kurt had felt himself taking two steps backwards in his acceptance of himself. It had taken him nearly a year after that to regain the self-worth he'd had before the debacle.

But now there was Blaine, such a stark contrast to that scared boy from Kurt's adolescence. Blaine who was proud of who he was, proud of who _they_ were and Kurt already knew this man was good for him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it in a bad way," Kurt clarified, reaching for Blaine's hand to hold in his again. Their fingers automatically interlocked and Kurt fought back a smile. "I completely agree with everything you just said. It's nice to have someone who has the same opinion on this. Too many people hide away who they are when they shouldn't have to. It's actually really upsetting."

"It is," Blaine agreed.

His parents would never comprehend that fact, that denying your true self was in no way a good thing. He hoped one day they might get it, but that was nothing more than wishful thinking.

"Though I admit it's not easy being open about yourself in a world filled with hate," Kurt continued, frowning as he thought back to his high school days. The slushies, the locker slams, the slurred threats… "I used to be so afraid of what people might do. I didn't care what they thought, it was how they might _act _that terrified me."

Blaine nodded; he understood that feeling all too well.

"God, I don't think I ever could have kissed a boy in public back then, not until I turned eighteen and learnt that not everybody was out to hurt me."

Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand in his, a silent sorry for the fear they'd both experienced, and let his eyes drop to Kurt's mouth. "And now?"

"Now I'm quite partial to it." They both grinned as Kurt brought their lips together for a quick, chaste kiss.

They didn't stay much longer, both tired and lamenting the fact that it was only a week into the semester. If they were this worn out already, who knew how they'd be in a few months' time. They found Tanya on the dance floor, somehow still drinking away, and said their goodbyes before walking to their cars and sharing a kiss goodnight. They parted, both buzzing from a lovely evening spent in each other's company.

Later that night, clad in pyjamas and free of gel, Blaine stared at his phone, Kurt's words from earlier ringing in his ears.

_Too many people hide away who they are when they shouldn't have to._

He deliberated for a moment longer, almost calling _Home _before turning his phone off and trudging to bed. That conversation was for another day.

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><p><strong>Review :) X<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Sorry for the wait, unfortunately life always gets in the way. Have some fluffy fluff :)**

**Thanks to _Nightingale63_ who added to my headcanon of Blaine singing to his kids. ****And as always, all the thanks to my beta, _itsjustalittlemakeup_**

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><p>Every second Thursday, Kurt had the lesson before lunch free and whilst he usually attempted to diminish his ever-growing pile of work, today was different. He was too tired to even consider reading the drivel some of his students handed in, so instead he set off in search of caffeine. It wasn't until he heard the soft sounds of a guitar and a beautiful, strangely familiar voice that he realised his feet had taken a detour.<p>

Somehow he'd ended up in the elementary part of the school, right outside Blaine's classroom. Most afternoons he would drop by before leaving, ducking inside for a quick kiss goodbye that tided him over until they texted into the night. Today, though, he hadn't really intended to visit, at least not during class time. Yet here he was, lurking in the corridor. He knew he should turn around and make a beeline to the staffroom for a much-needed cup of coffee, but he hadn't heard Blaine sing before, and frankly, he was captivated.

It wasn't that he had thought Blaine would be bad, he just hadn't expected he'd be _this good_.

Even though he couldn't see into the classroom, the well-placed tremors and quakes in Blaine's voice were enough to confirm he wasn't just singing, he was _performing,_ a song Kurt had never viewed as emotional before. How he could make Disney sound so deep and utterly engaging was beyond him.

Without another thought, Kurt's feet were moving forward, acting on their own accord for the second time today and suddenly he was standing in the doorway, peering into the room.

Blaine's usually gelled-to-an-inch-of-his-life curls were lightly mussed and his face was pink as he strummed away, singing to twenty enchanted first-graders. A wide smile crept onto Kurt's face as he watched, his heart tugging, stretching and filling.

_Wouldn't I love, love to explore that shore up above?  
><em>_Out of the sea, wish I could be part of your world_

The second the room fell silent Kurt found himself replacing the noise, clapping before he could stop himself. Blaine's head snapped to the door, his eyes widening and then warming as he saw who was standing there.

"Bravo," Kurt mouthed, grinning as he waved to twenty pairs of curious eyes.

A few kids craned their necks to get a better look and Blaine grinned too. "Class, could you say good afternoon to Mr Hummel?"

A chorus of voices, some enthusiastic and some small, rang out and Blaine told them to talk amongst themselves for a minute before he walked over to Kurt.

Each day it got harder to repress the urge to plant a kiss on Blaine's ridiculously adorable smile whilst in their workplace and right now, the urge had never been stronger. Kurt wanted to kiss him in greeting, for being so effortlessly cute, for being so talented, for being _him_. Instead, he settled for squeezing Blaine's arm.

"You're _really _good," Kurt complimented, the echoes of Blaine's last few notes ringing in his ears. "Your kids seem to agree, they couldn't look away."

Blaine's cheeks began to heat up but he looked undeniably delighted at the praise. "Thank-you. I sing to them most days, just after recess. It helps them calm down and focus after running around for a half hour."

"That's a really good idea," Kurt said honestly, "I'm pretty tempted to creepily listen outside your classroom more often."

Blaine chuckled, "Good to see I have a fan."

"Of the most avid kind," Kurt quipped, grinning again and Blaine ached to reach for his hand.

"That reminds me, remember when you talked about pursuing your dream if your Dad hadn't gotten sick? It was on our first date."

Kurt nodded, intrigued by the abrupt change in topic.

"Well, you sort of inspired me," Blaine said shyly, "I was thinking that whilst I can't do anything in the music industry, nothing's stopping me from performing. So I saw an ad for a fortnightly Sunday afternoon gig at a local coffee shop. It's not much, mostly mellow background music, but it sounded perfect so I enquired and guess who's singing this Sunday?"

Kurt covered a squeal and pulled Blaine into a hug, blushing when he remembered their whereabouts.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have done that," Kurt apologised, biting his lip.

Blaine smiled, "No, but I'm glad you did. Anyway I was gonna tell you at lunch, but I was wondering if you wanted to come see me? Just for my first one, you don't have to come _every time _I sing or anything, but I would really appreciate it if you considered - "

"_Of course _I'll come! Don't be silly."

"Oh." Blaine grinned dumbly and Kurt swore to himself there and then that he'd make it to every show, to support the person who'd given him nothing but the same in return. "Okay. I'll tell you more at lunch."

"Sounds fantastic," Kurt said genuinely and it made Blaine's stomach flip, "Now tell me, really quickly, what are you doing tomorrow night?"

"You interrupted my class to ask me out on a date?" Blaine asked, his tone teasing and Kurt rolled his eyes.

"Maybe? Are you free?"

"Free as a bird," Blaine sang, unable to hide his excitement at the prospect of another night spent in Kurt's company, "What did you have in mind?"

Kurt shrugged. He'd thought it over as he got ready this morning, swooping his hair to its usual height. The last two Fridays they'd gone out to dinner and Kurt had decided he was in the mood for a more casual evening. "Maybe a movie? There's this new rom-com that's caught my eye."

"Sounds perfect." Blaine smiled then tilted his head to the side, making sure his students hadn't killed each other in his brief absence. As expected, they were chatting loudly but still cross-legged on the floor. He faced Kurt again, a bright smile still stuck to his face as he nodded towards the kids. "I better go, I'll see you at lunch."

Kurt grinned, "Can't wait."

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><p>The coffee shop was bigger than Kurt had imagined, with quirky furniture that provided a cosy feel. He unwound the scarf around his neck as he waited in line to order a drink, his skin tingly at the thought of hearing Blaine sing again. His eyes flickered to the makeshift stage, seeking out a familiar face instantly. Blaine was busy setting up, flitting around the place, fixing the mic, tuning his guitar. It took only a few moments for Kurt to realise something wasn't right.<p>

Blaine looked _nervous_.

Maybe not to any average onlooker, but Kurt had gotten to know him pretty well the past few weeks and he could tell that something was wrong. He wondered if Blaine just had stage fright, but with his love for performing and his earlier excitement that seemed unlikely.

Whatever it was, he hoped it wouldn't hinder Blaine. He deserved this moment to shine.**  
><strong>

"You came," Blaine said breathlessly minutes later, rushing from the stage to where Kurt was seated, right near the front. He leant down for a kiss, pressing his lips to Kurt's in a silent thank-you for not running when Blaine needed him the most. He squeaked in surprise when Kurt deepened the kiss, teasing his lower lip before pulling away slowly, drawing the kiss out for as long as possible.

"Biscotti?" Kurt offered nonchalantly as if he hadn't just made his boyfriend's eyes turn two shades darker. It had been a _good luck _of sorts, to let Blaine know that Kurt was proud of him no matter how today turned out. He hoped it got his sentiments across exactly.

"But you don't like biscotti?" Blaine questioned, his brows quirking as he reached for a piece.

"That is correct, but you do."

A small smile tugged at Blaine's lips and he hastened to swallow his bite before it turned into a full-fledged grin, "You didn't have to do that."

"Mmm, just being world's best boyfriend," Kurt joked, the word falling from his mouth easily but the face he was met with made him want to shove it back in.

"Boyfriend?" Blaine echoed.

"I'm sorry, it just slipped out -"

"No, I like it," Blaine assured, a dopey grin forming on his face, "You just haven't said it before. But I like it a lot."

Kurt grinned, "Okay, boyfriend. Go show us what you've got."

After another quick kiss and an uncharacteristic thumbs up from Kurt, Blaine took to the stage. His steps were big but slightly shaky and he told himself to pull it together.

He could do this.

There was no reason to be nervous.

It was just Kurt, Kurt who had called him his boyfriend only moments before.

He could do this.

With a smile that was surer than he felt, Blaine faced the audience that had gathered there, some waiting in line, others sipping coffee with their seats turned towards him. His eyes sought out Kurt's and the reassuring smile he received gave him the extra nudge he needed. He wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans once and took a deep breath before taking to the mic.

"Hi everyone, my name's Blaine and I'll be singing for you this afternoon. Hopefully I won't bomb so badly that you never return again." A few chuckles, one distinctly Kurt's, filled the shop and Blaine began to relax. "I have someone special here today and without sounding like every cliché ever, this first song's for him."

Kurt's eyebrows shot up and his heart stuttered in his chest as Blaine began to play, fingers plucking at strings to form a surprisingly familiar tune that made Kurt's heart beat even faster.

_I don't know but I think I may be fallin' for you, dropping so quickly…_

The first few lines were the hardest but now they were out there, Blaine's _feelings _were out there and he felt himself step away from the worries that had dominated his mind all morning and lose himself in the melody.

He tried his best not to look at Kurt too much, though he failed spectacularly, his eyes finding his favourite smile more often than not. It didn't falter once, only seeming to grow in size and Blaine took that as a positive.

Once Kurt got over the initial shock that _Blaine _was singing this to _him _which must mean he was _falling _for him and _ohmygod I'm having a stroke,_ he could appreciate the smoothness to Blaine's voice and the effortless way in which he sung. Within the first few bars the entire coffee shop fell silent, a few impressed whispers here and there but mostly just intent listeners.

It was indicative of his talent and Kurt felt his chest swell with pride.

The song ended much too soon and as Blaine sung the last line, his eyes bored into Kurt's so there was no mistaking the lyrics for empty words.

_Oooh, I'm fallin' for you_

It had been years since Blaine had performed properly and he'd forgotten how good the sound of applause could feel. Kurt was clapping and whooping loudly but he wasn't the only one and Blaine almost preened.

He went on to sing a few classics acoustically, spurred on by the crowd that was forming and their undivided attention. He loved teaching but _God_ had he missed singing for more than a class full of children. The adrenaline was indescribable and the thought that he'd experience it once a fortnight practically gave him chills.

The second Blaine thanked everyone for listening and was packing up his guitar, Kurt was at his side, hooking his arms around Blaine's waist. "Interesting first song choice."

Blaine grinned, his arms resting atop Kurt's, "I thought it was appropriate."

"I'm falling for you too, Blaine," Kurt said plainly, no preamble and he smiled into the kiss Blaine was quick to pull him into. There were butterflies in his stomach at finally saying the words aloud, the reality of the situation making them both grin. The smell of coffee lingered in the air, mixing with the low rumble of chatter and for once, Kurt appreciated the easy things in life.

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><p><strong>The songs Blaine sang were <em>Part of Your World <em>from the Little Mermaid and _Fallin' For You _by Colbie Caillat. Reviews make me happy so please leave your thoughts :) X**


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